Chai Tea

Before we bought a house we lived in a town home, and right next door to us was a nice couple from India.  Sushma and I became pretty close friends and we would pop in on each other nearly every day to chat.  I miss having a neighbor like that!  Sushma made me chai tea several times and taught me how to make it, too!

It's quite simple to make.  All you need are these ingredients:

• Milk (whole is best).  I just fill the mug I'm using, and then pour it in the sauce pan.  
• Loose Tea: A good heaping tablespoon or so.  You'll probably have to experiment a little to see what strength you like your tea.
• Sugar: A teaspoon or tablespoon, depending on how sweet you want it.

Put your milk, tea, and sugar on medium-high heat.  Your goal is not to boil it, because you want to give the tea time to brew while the milk heats up.  Stir frequently.

After a few minutes, it starts to turn a nice caramel color and that means it's done!  Now, just pour it through a fine mesh strainer and into your mug.

See how yummy that looks? Easy, huh?!  Other spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.) may be added if you like, but it's great just like this as well!

Day 80: Exploration Day-Experimenting with Water

Today we are on Day 80 of My Father's World 1st Grade for home school.  We have finished Usborne's "Things Outdoors" for Science, and today we began "Science with Water."

Today, we read pages 2-3, "Experimenting with Water."  I'm letting Davin narrate the pictures below, so he'll tell you what we did!

First, I put a jar of water on the table to see that the top of the water goes in a straight line, just like the table top.  

 Next, I sloped the bottle and the top still went in a straight line!

 Then, I looked at the bottle with a magnifying glass and saw that there tiny, white bubbles in the water.

 Continued.....

 Still playing with magnifying glass....

 Then, I put water in a glass pan and saw that it extends to cover the entire pan.

 Lastly, I put 2 cups of water in 3 different jars.  I thought the one on the left looked like it had more water, but all of them had the same amount!

I learned that water takes any shape!  I liked doing these experiments a lot!

A (Barely) Snowy Day, Hot Cocoa, & a Cuneiform Tablet

We had some snow flurries today; just enough to bundle up the boys and send them outside to play.  I'll admit I get just as excited as the kids about it!  I know that snow and I will not be friends in a few months, but for now I welcome it :)

Here's Davin trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue:

Going down the slide:

Dorian sliding:

Swinging:

Enjoying some hot cocoa after playing outside.  Daving proclaimed this "the best day ever" while working on his superhero puzzle:

Yummy:

I love how Dori is holding his little cup:

During our school time today, we were studying "The First Writing": cuneiform (Sumerians) and hieroglyphics (Egyptians).  We made some clay a few weeks ago using this recipe and it held up very nicely in the refrigerator:

Modeling Clay:

• Mix together
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup salt
• Food coloring, optional
• Store in refrigerator.

Here's what the Cuneiform Alphabet looks like:

Here's Davin using a screwdriver to carve the wedges to spell out his name:

The end result, with a hole that can be used to hang it up once it dries:

(The books we're using for history are Story of the World: Ancient Times by Susan Wise Bauer, along with the student activity book.  We have really enjoyed these books and Davin is not only learning a lot, but retaining it and having fun!)

Advent with the Jesus Storybook Bible

I came across this wonderful blog post about using the Jesus Storybook Bible for advent readings. We are huge fans of this book and I'm excited to use the readings each day leading up to Christmas!

Advent with the Jesus Storybook Bible

I printed out the schedule of readings and put them in our cute wooden Christmas Tree advent calendar (a gift from my mother-in-law!).  I also put two pieces of candy or chocolate inside each little door so the boys can enjoy a special treat while I read them the story each day.